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Newark, New Jersey Mayor Cory Booker certainly isn't the first politician to see first-hand what it's like to survive on food stamps, but he just might be one of the most fascinating to watch.

For the next seven days, Booker will live off the same $4.32 per day that Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program participants receive in Newark. He has already been vocal about the toughest part of the challenge so far –– giving up his coffee habit in order to save his pennies for sustenance.

Apart from live blogging his experience and posting photos to Instagram and Twitter of his meager rations, Booker has not taken criticism from anti-food stamp ranters lying down.

"Sorry you don't see the point," Booker replied to one Twitter follower. "I believe others do."

Read some of his more colorful replies from over the last day:

A misconception about SNAP is that all recipients are unemployed MT @twodrunkmonkiesY aren't we focused on providing opportunity to work?

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Editors' Picks

Food stamps are supplemental - they aren't designed to be the sole source of nutrition. One of the things that makes the food problem so acute is local zoning laws. Community gardens in places like Detroit have shown that allowing for non-profits to run gardens that are open to the community members who volunteer at the garden can radically improve diet without much expense. Unfortunately, there is a major NIMBY issue, so we're unlikely to see the practice spread to densely populated areas.